Proton-boron nuclear fusion returns to spotlight

Technique fuses nuclei without producing harmful neutrons, but is far from power plant–ready

A laser-driven technique could reignite research into fusing protons and boron nuclei, which make up the most seductive and challenging fuel for generating energy from nuclear fusion.

While the researchers admit that this type of fusion won’t be used to produce energy anytime soon, their work opens new avenues for exploring what many physicists consider the ideal fusion fuel. “The holy grail of holy grails is proton-boron fusion,” says Steven Cowley, a fusion physicist at Imperial College London who was not involved in the new work.

This article is available only to subscribing members. Join the Society today or Log in.